Blockchain to flex muscles at New Zealand’s Blockworks conference

A week long blockchain conference is set to put the power of the technology front and centre this October featuring an international line of speakers presenting how the technology will transform New Zealand business, Government and society.

Blockworks will be New Zealand’s premier blockchain event and include a hackfest on 6th and 7th October, workshops on 11th and a full-day conference on Friday 12th — it’s aim is to give people a practical insight on the potential for blockchain to benefit Kiwis, bring prosperity and support New Zealand.

Headline speakers include international Smart Cities expert Prof. Boyd Cohen, an urban strategist focused on smart cities and the Internet of Mobility — he will present on creating innovative and entrepreneurial urban environments, of great relevance to New Zealand’s rapidly evolving cities.

Assoc. Prof. Alex Sims from the University of Auckland Business School, will focus on the practical applications of blockchain to transform business and society.

Aaron McDonald, CEO of Centrality.ai and winner of the Technology and Emerging Industries Category at the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, 2018, will provide insight on New Zealand’s economic potential as we take back ownership and control of information.

Founder of Blockworks, Justin Flitter, says New Zealand has a huge opportunity to build new prosperity based on local control of data and information:

“Often associated with bitcoin, Blockchain technology is going mainstream and we need to take note as it stakes a claim to impact every aspect of life, for the better.

“It will streamline the way organisations run by unclogging systems and it will change the way we do business and live by giving people control and ownership of their data, instead of giving it away to a third party corporate. It will create opportunities and new ways for Kiwis to prosper.

“Blockchain is so much more than just bitcoin — that’s where it started but we want to change the conversation and get people to understand its potential. In a way, Blockworks will be this technology’s coming out party when it reveals its true identity,” he says.

Blockworks conference partners include: Microsoft, Centrality.ai, IBM, Cryptopia, the Blockchain Association of New Zealand, NZTE and ATEED. The full-day conference will be at the 680-seat ASB Waterfront Theatre in Wynyard Quarter, Auckland.

Blockchain’s attraction as a technology is its ability to deliver trust and security, because each block in a blockchain is a digital, tamper-proof record of information. It’s built using cryptography, a way of storing and transmitting data so it can only be read and processed by the recipient, making it very effective in managing identity, financial information, social and medical records, transport and supply chain, and much more.

Centrality.ai GM Strategic Partnerships Andy Higgs says it’s a critical time to capture the potential and value of blockchain.

“This emerging industry has grown exponentially, thanks to interest from both private and public sectors. We see the importance of momentum and maximising opportunities enabled by blockchain, for the broader tech ecosystem.

“Blockworks, from Centrality’s point of view, is a timely opportunity to showcase the exciting business and govtech applications of blockchain for New Zealand Inc.”

The Blockworks hackfest on the weekend of the 6th and 7th October is sponsored and hosted by Microsoft, and is an open invitation event for developers and industry experts to collaborate and solve significant global problems using blockchain. The workshops on 11th October are for anyone from beginner to expert to learn about blockchain and discover its value.

“Many NZ companies are developing concepts using blockchain — it’s a growing sector that is creating jobs. Blockchain has the potential to bring about prosperity built on fairness and trust,” Justin Flitter says.

“Blockworks will be an event where people will learn the benefits of blockchain technology for themselves, organisations, Government, communities and the country as a whole — it will be really hands on — anyone with an eye on the future needs to come and be part of it.”